


A Mighty Stranger

by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Brainwashing, F/F, Interplanetary Travel, Kidnapping, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:49:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24794170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiasobi_writes/pseuds/hollyandvice
Summary: Catra is used to waking up with one side of the bed empty. Adora's late night jaunts aren't uncommon, and Catra's learned to let her have her time. Catra is used to Adora slipping out in the dead of night to breathe and learn how she is going to live this life that they've built together for as long as they have one another.What Catra isn't used to is waking alone with no note from her lover.When Adora is ripped away from her lover, Catra mounts a rescue mission to save her from the depths of space. The Adora she finds is nothing at all like the Adora she'd expected.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed, as I am still looking for a beta in this fandom. Title from an Emily Bronte quote. Please enjoy!

Catra is used to waking up with one side of the bed empty. Adora's late night jaunts aren't uncommon, and Catra's learned to let her have her time. They've both been through hell over the last twenty-odd years of their lives, and though they've done a lot of their healing together, there are some wounds that belong to them as individuals and can't be healed together. Some things that need their own individual time and attention to recover from. Catra is used to Adora slipping out in the dead of night to breathe and learn how she is going to live this life that they've built together for as long as they have one another.

What Catra isn't used to is waking alone with no note from her lover.

Catra slips from their bed, shivering as the midnight air ripples through her fur. She doesn't call out for Adora while she searches the room for any indication that Adora has left a message. But the room is as they'd left it when they fell into bed together at dusk. Catra knows she should be worried, and she is, but there's a haze of sleepiness over her worry. A distance that makes it all the harder to remember why she should be worried.

Catra sits down on the edge of their bed, blinking into the low light the full moons provide. Something is wrong. Adora isn't here. That means something is wrong. Catra blinks hard, trying to cling to the thoughts that keep drifting in and out of her awareness. Adora isn't here, but she didn't leave a message. That means something is wrong. Adora—

Something bumps up against Catra's knee. Melog. They're glowing a strange purple in the low light, neither blue nor red. It's that, somehow, that pulls Catra out of the trance she'd been caught in. She's stuck — Melog's made that clear — and if she wants to keep Adora safe she can't afford to be stuck. Catra stands up, running her fingers along the back of Melog's head. They shift back to their usual cool blue, and Catra relaxes. "Come on, buddy. We've got places to be."

Catra dresses as quickly as she can, and then leads Melog out to the gardens. She hops on their back and leans low. "Come on, buddy. To the Crystal Castle."

Catra loses herself in the rhythm of Melog's movement. There's something soothing about letting them control everything while she tries not to freak out about Adora going missing. She closes her eyes and holds onto the memory of Adora's skin under her fingertips just hours before. They'd both been exhausted from their last trip to bring magic back to the universe, but that hadn't kept them from sinking into one another the second they had a few minutes alone.

It wasn't easy being intimate when there were only a few thin spaceship walls between you and two of your lover's best friends.

But the memory is already fading into worry. They'd only been back three days; Catra would have expected it to take longer before the novelty had worn off. For Adora to have run off already, something must be really really wrong.

Melog pulls up short in front of the Crystal Castle, nearly tumbling Catra off their back. Catra snorts and clambers off, patting Melog on the head before making her way over to the castle.

"Eternia."

The easy way the castle opens up to her is exhilarating, warm and comfortable in a way that only Adora can make her feel. She slips inside, tracing her fingers along the etchings on the walls as she goes. Adora will often come here when she's conflicted about her role in the universe. Adora's always wanted to save everyone, even back when her "everyone" was just Catra herself. Sometimes it takes all Catra's knowledge of how Adora's mind functions to convince her that she isn't responsible for the safety of everyone in the universe and that there's only so much she can do to undo centuries of Horde Prime's rule.

But Adora never seems to fully understand. She's always taken too much on. That's just who she is.

"Adora?" Catra's almost to the central hall, the etchings on the walls lighting her way. "Adora, honey, are you here?"

Her voice echoes dully in the low light. She makes it to the central hall and is met with nothing, just a tall, empty chamber, apparently devoid of her lover.

Catra huffs. "This isn't funny, Adora. Come on. You didn't leave me a note or anything. You really freaked me out." The room stays eerily silent. "Adora?"

Something bursts to light in the room. Catra yelps and jumps backward, feeling Melog come to stand at her side. When Catra's eyes have adjusted to the light, it's to see one of the AIs standing in the center of the room, bright and all-knowling.

"Hello?"

"Administrator detected. Welcome, Catra."

"Um, hi." Catra's never going to get used to the way these things talk. They're just human enough to be relatable until they say or do something just the wrong side of normal and all Catra can do is flinch away.

"What is your query?"

"Do you, uh. Do you know where Adora is?"

The AI doesn't say anything for a long moment. "You do not have clearance to access that information."

Catra glares. "I thought you said Adora named me an administrator."

There's another long moment of silence. "What is your query?"

Catra rolls her eyes, finding a whole new level of appreciation for Adora's frustration all those years ago. "Look, just. Can you tell me if she's at the Watchtower? Or one of the other ruins?"

"You do not have clearance to access that information."

Catra groans and runs her hands down her face. "Fine. I guess I'll just go looking myself, then."

Catra takes the requisite twenty minutes to search the rest of the castle before whistling for Melog and hopping on their back.

"She's not here. Come on. Let's check the Watchtower."

Melog meows, glancing over their shoulder to look at Catra, who just smiles and pats their head. "I'm sure she's fine, buddy." Melog meows again, sounding even more uncertain, but bows their head to let Catra hop on their back.

The run to the Watchtower feels longer than usual. Catra stays curled close against Melog's back, trying to lose herself in the rhythm of their movements. Even so, she can't keep her mind off of Adora. Adora knows how much Catra relies on her, knows how much she needs to know that Adora is safe. Those years on opposite sides of the war, however few they had been in the grand scheme of things, had left their marks on both of them. Adora never leaves without leaving Catra a note letting her know where she is and when she plans on being back. She trusts Catra enough to let her decide whether she wants to join Adora or wait for her to return, but she never leaves Catra without the knowledge to make her own decision.

Until tonight.

She tightens her grip on Melog, who whines in response. Catra lets up on her hold, patting them gently in apology. Melog huffs and slows, pulling up short in front of the Watchtower.

The structure is lit from the inside. Catra's racing heart slows in her chest. She's here. Adora's here. She has to be.

"Come on, Melog."

The two of them rush across the final few yards to the entrance, which opens for them without a word. Catra's heart swells. Adora's here. She's safe, she's fine, she's in for a hell of a tongue lashing, but she's _fine_ and that's all that—

Adora isn't there.

The control room is lit but empty, no matter how much Catra wants to believe otherwise. She still takes the time to search every corner of the room, but she already knows what she's going to find. Catra settles down in the single chair in the center of the room, staring into the empty space before her.

"Where are you, Adora?"

The light in the room shifts. All at once, a projection of Etheria appears before her. The map is familiar — goodness knows she's looked at enough maps of Etheria to last her a lifetime — except that there are seven blue towers blinking as the projected globe spins slowly. One is clearly the Watchtower; that much is clear from its placement. There's one right where the Crystal Castle is located too. Catra leaps to her feet, eyeing the map with a new hope in her chest.

"What have you been up to, Adora?" There's no answer from the globe, but Catra doesn't need one to draw her own conclusions. "Are you telling me there are more First Ones ruins on Etheria?" She shakes her head. "Adora, you little minx. Trying to find out more about your past without me? Sneaky, sneaky."

Catra tries not to let it hurt.

Still, it's more of a lead on where Adora might be than she had ten minutes ago, so she really isn't going to complain. She circles the globe three times, memorizing the locations before she turns to Melog. "Come on, buddy. We've got a wayward partner to find."

* * *

It takes Catra three days before she finally admits defeat. She's been to every one of the ruins, some of them more than once. Each one keeps giving her the same response: a slowly spinning globe with the same seven blue spires on it.

"Just tell me where she is." Catra throws the nearest piece of loose stone she can find through the center of the globe. "Quit yanking me around like this. I can't—" She slumps to the ground, face in her hands. "I can't do this if she's gone."

Melog noses at her hands, whining high in the back of their throat. Catra lets loose a sob and clings to her companion, desperation making her weak in a way she's never felt before. But the truth is there, staring her in the face. It's too obvious to deny, too painful to accept, but all she has left is her own two legs and the strength of Melog at her side. Wherever it is that Adora's gone, it's clear that this time she has no intention of reaching out to Catra again.

Catra allows herself a full five minutes of grief before she forces herself to her feet and astride Melog's back. "Home, Melog. Let's go home."

Melog lets loose a lonely cry before taking off into the night.

* * *

Catra isn't as surprised as she thinks she should be when Melog drops her off in front of Scorpia's castle in the depths of what was once the Fright Zone instead of at Bright Moon. Bright Moon only ever felt like home because Adora was there. Without her—

Catra sighs and makes her way tot he guest quarters that Scorpia had designated as Catra and Adora's the last time she'd been by. Catra ignores the sting in her chest at that and collapses onto ~~their~~ _her_ bed. Melog curls up atop her, a comforting weight to hold back the pain of loss.

Lonnie's the one that finds her there what must be hours later.

"Catra?"

"Oh. Hey Lonnie."

"Where the hell have you and Adora been? The whole Alliance is in damage control mode because you two went AWOL right before Entrapta caught that weird signal out of Bright Moon. We need to get you both back to Bright Moon stat; Queen Glimmer's gonna have your heads when she finds out that you and Adora have been—"

"Adora's not with me."

Lonnie stops short. "What?"

"That's why I left. To try to find her. But I can't find her anywhere. Whatever _her highness_ wants from Adora, she's gonna have to get in line."

That only seems to make Lonnie even more worried. "Then it's true."

"What's true?"

"Adora has—" Lonnie stops short and shakes her head. "We need to get you back to Bright Moon. I'm not the right person to tell you."

Catra feels the beginnings of real fear creep into her lungs. "Tell me what?"

"It should be Glimmer. She'll know how to tell you."

Catra leaps from the bed and crosses the room to stand before Lonnie. It takes her a moment to realize she has Lonnie's upper arms in a death grip, and even then she can't seem to let go. "Lonnie. Please. What's going on with Adora?"

"The Alliance got word from the Interplanetary Coalition. ThereOne of the allies was a distress signal from one of the recently freed planets. They said they were under attack. They said—" Lonnie swallows and looks away. "They said they were under attack from She-Ra."

The fear turns to nausea. Catra only just manages to keep herself from dry-heaving on the ground. How long has it been since she'd eaten? But she isn't going to swoon here in front of Lonnie like some princess. She's going to go back to Bright Moon and get to the bottom of this. Catra whips around to face Melog.

"Melog. Bright Moon. Now."

She's never seen the creature move faster.

* * *

Melog carries her all the way to the war room. Catra slides off their back and, without breaking stride, makes her way over to stand beside Glimmer.

"What do we know?"

Glimmer startles, as though she hadn't heard Catra come in. Turnabout is fair play, Catra figures, for all the time she'd teleported right beside Catra, but she isn't in the mood to keep score.

"Catra." Glimmer manages to sound stern, but only just. "Where have you and Adora been? We really needed—"

"Adora's missing." The whole room goes deadly silent at that in a way that overwhelms the previous silence. "That's why I've been gone. I've been trying to find her."

"And you haven't?"

Catra snaps her head up to meet Bow's gaze. "You think I'd be here alone if I had?"

Bow's expression goes dark. He turns to Glimmer. "Then we have to assume our allies are telling the truth. Adora is compromised."

"We don't know that," Catra snaps. "She's stronger than any of us. We're not writing her off until we know for sure."

The silence comes back, heavier this time. Glimmer reaches out and puts a hand on Catra's elbow. Catra forces herself not to flinch away. No weakness. Not here. Not with Adora at stake.

"We don't know anything for sure," Glimmer concedes, "but until we do, we have to explore all the possibilities."

Catra narrows her eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we have responsibilities to the other members of the Coalition. If their information is true, we have to act accordingly."

Catra closes her eyes and inhales deeply, trying to calm the need to rip Glimmer's head off for daring to doubt Adora. "How would Adora even have gotten off-planet? Both of our ships are still here. I checked on my way in."

Glimmer glances over at Entrapta, who seems to take the look as permission to start speaking. "I found trace evidence of an unknown energy signature outside your room. It was similar to the residue left behind by Horde Prime's teleportation and portal technology. I have reason to believe Adora might have been transported somewhere, possibly to another planet, if not another galaxy. Against her will, of course," Entrapta adds when she catches sight of whatever look Catra is giving her.

Catra closes her eyes and tries in vain again to calm down. "Do you have any way to find out where she is?" When Entrapta doesn't immediately answer, Catra looks up to see Entrapta glancing at Glimmer uncertainly. Glimmer nods, and Entrapta turns back to Catra.

"Without access to the focal point of the energy signature, any such calculations would be approximate at best."

Catra takes a moment to unpack those words. "You need to get into our bedroom."

"Indeed."

Catra's gut reaction is to refuse. That room is one small piece of heaven that she and Adora have carved out for themselves in a world that has done them wrong over and over again. Letting Entrapta in— letting _anyone_ in while Adora is missing feels like a violation of the peace that comes with that room.

But going in there knowing Adora is out of her reach is even worse.

"Fine. As soon as we're done here."

Entrapta's eyes sparkle, and Catra tries not to think she's made a mistake.

Glimmer ends the meeting quickly enough after thatWhen no one immediately disperses at Glimmer's word for Entrapta to go check for trace energy signatures, Catra realizes exactly what everyone's thinking.

"Just Entrapta," she says through gritted teeth. Everyone in the room deflates, but Catra is already giving up enough by letting Entrapta do this. She's not going to give anything more. "We'll let you know what she finds out."

Catra isn't surprised when everyone stays exactly where they are while she leads Entrapta to the room she shares with Adora. She's certain they'll still be right there when the two of them come back with whatever they find.

Entrapta is unusually quiet as they make their way through the castle. Catra isn't sure how to ask about it in a way that will both be clear to Entrapta and give her an answer she is willing to hear. She doesn't ask.

Catra hesitates when she gets to the door, hand hovering over the knob as she tries to find the strength to let someone into the privacy of their room with Adora gone. But then, this is for Adora, she reminds herself. She can't keep this all to herself if she doesn't have Adora at her side. She pushes the door open.

The comfort that comes at being home is tempered by the disarray she'd left the room in. Normally she comes home to a pristine, organized room, because Adora has never grown out of the structure the Horde provided both of them. Now the bed is in disarray, comforter and sheets thrown aside and clothes strewn across the floor where they'd left them the night before—

Catra steps into the room and waits for Entrapta to follow her. "You need anything else from me?"

Entrapta isn't listening. She's already got three devices out, all of them whirring and beeping in low tones. She circles the room twice before centering on the bed. Catra's throat goes tight at that. There's something sacred about their bed. It's the one place in the universe where no one could touch them. Where they could just be Catra an Adora, free of anyone else's need or desire or influence. Or so she'd thought.

Catra wraps her arms around her middle, wishing not for the first time that they were Adora's. Entrapta glances at her and bites her lip, as though trying to find the words to say. Catra swallows down the defensive hiss that bubbles up and looks away. It's going to be okay. Entrapta's going to find Adora and then... and then the rest will work out the way it's supposed to.

Catra tunes out the increasingly high-pitched beeping sounds from Entrapta's devices. She stares at a point on the wall across from her. There's an indentation in the wall, one left by a wayward fist while she and Adora had been grappling one night. Catra's chest feels too small all of a sudden, crushing her lungs beneath its heel. She backs toward the door, but stops just short of leaving the room. She's not going to let anyone be in here alone that isn't Adora. This is their room, and no matter what's going on, she's not about to let that change.

"Aha!" Catra jumps at the excitement in Entrapta's voice. "I've locked onto the energy signature. It should take about an hour for the radiation to fully triangulate and let us know where—" She looks over at Catra, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. "We'll find her."

Catra nods, her voice still too far away.

"I can go tell the others that we'll need some time to wait."

Catra looks up at the unexpected show of understanding from Entrapta. She forces a smile onto her face and nods. "Thank you."

Entrapta nods and heads for the door. She reaches out as though to squeeze Catra's elbow, but thinks better of it at the last moment. "See you in an hour."

"See you in an hour."

* * *

The device stops beeping a full five minutes before Entrapta comes back. Catra stares at it, trying to understand the array of numbers flowing across the screen They'll tell her where Adora is. They'll let her find her partner.

When Entrapta does come back, she waits until Catra finds the strength to pull away from the device. Entrapta does pat her on the shoulder this time, clearly too excited about whatever readings she's about to find to remember the distress Catra is in. Catra doesn't actually mind all that much. If this will get her to Adora, she can handle anything.

Entrapta mumbles as she scrolls through the data. When she gets to the bottom, she grins and looks up at Catra. "Found her."

Catra's relief almost sends her sinking to her knees. She locks them instead, forcing herself to stay upright. "Then I guess that means it's time to go tell everybody else."

"Sounds good to me."

Entrapta leads the way back to the war room where it looks like no one has moved since the two of them left an hour ago. There's a heaviness in the room that Catra eels in her marrow, but Entrapta swans right through it all with her devices held up triumphantly.

"We found her."

Everyone looks at Entrapta except for Bow. His eyes are sharp on Catra's face as Entrapta speaks.

"She's on a planet that is a member of the Coalition. Astena."

"The one that sent the distress signal," Glimmer says.

Entrapta pauses, then shrugs. "Sure. But that's definitely where the signal leads. If we're going to find her, that's where she is."

"Or at least where she was."

Catra turns to look at Mermista, her lips curled back in a snarl. "What did you say?"

"Just because that's where the signal leads, that doesn't mean she's still there."

The only thing keeping Catra from leaping across the table and pinning Mermista to the ground is the fact that she's right. It's exactly the kind of paranoid thing Catra herself might once have said. Even though the thought is terrifying, Catra is grateful too. Catra closes her eyes and bows her head.

"Yeah. Okay. I guess we need to take that into account too." Catra looks over at Entrapta. "Can you teach Bow how to read that device of yours in case she has landed herself somewhere else and we need to find her again?"

Entrapta's eyes alight with glee, but everyone else in the room is staring at Catra. Catra's fur stands on end, resistant to being the center of all this attention.

"What?"

Mermista speaks first. "We just didn't expect you to be so level-headed about all this."

"What, you thought I'd fly off the handle and freak out at all of you for even considering the thought that Adora might not be that easy to find?" When everyone glances at one another guiltily, Catra laughs humorlessly. "I'm the one that spent three days scouring every inch of this planet for any trace of her. You really think I'm gonna back down just because it might take a little hopping around the universe to find her?"

"Catra—"

"I'm not backing down."

"No one's accusing you of that." Glimmer sounds taken aback by the vehemence in Catra's voice, but she holds firm regardless. "We just don't want you to get your hopes up that bringing her home safely is going to be an easy task."

"Nothing with Adora is ever easy." It's an exaggeration, of course, but one that Catra doesn't mind indulging in. She doubts any of them, aside from maybe Bow and Glimmer, have any idea how hard Catra's had to work to convince Adora that she's allowed to want things. That she's allowed to want _Catra_. If she's missing, teleported off-planet by some entity or another, Catra's more than willing to put in the fight she knows she'll have to in order to bring Adora home.

Fighting an enemy is nothing like fighting a lover.

"We're bringing her home." Catra bows her head. "I'll do it alone if I have to, but she's coming home."

"No one said you had to do this alone."

"Then put your damn heads together and figure out everything you think we might need before we head out. Talk to the rest of the Coalition, bring in every member of the Alliance. Do whatever it takes. Adora saved the whole goddamn universe; bringing her home is the least they owe us in return. Well? What are you waiting for?" she demands when no one gets up from the table. When she looks up, everyone is staring at Glimmer for guidance. It stings, to know that there's still a difference of power here. When she has Adora at her side, no one ever doubts or questions her, but it seems that confidence still doesn't always extend to her when she's alone.

"You heard her," Glimmer says. She turns to look at Catra, certainty in her expression. "Put your damn heads together. We have a friend to find."

As the room empties around them, Catra doesn't look away from Glimmer's steady gaze. It's all the reassurance she needs that, when it comes to the people that know her best, she's just as important alone as she is with Adora at her side.

Bow stops at the door where Entrapta is trying to drag him out to shout at them. "Just let us know when you're ready, Catra. Glimmer and I are with you in this, no matter what."

Catra manages a fierce smile. "You got it."

With that reassurance in hand, Bow lets himself be dragged out of the war room. Catra turns back to Glimmer.

"What do you need from me? " Glimmer asks.

Catra blinks. "What?"

"This is your mission. She's your partner. You're in charge. Say the word and I'll do whatever I need to do to help."

"But you're—"

"Adora's best friend. I'm not her lover as well. You are. That means you have twice as much at stake here as the rest of us. That means you're in charge."

Catra wraps her arms around herself, mirroring the way Adora so often embraces her when she's drowning in her own uncertainty. "You don't think it means I'm compromised."

"Not at all." Glimmer reaches out to cup one of Catra's elbows in her hand. "I think it means you have more of a reason to do this than anyone else could even imagine. You take point, Catra, and the rest of us will follow your lead."

"And If _I_ think I'm compromised?"

Glimmer stills, seeming to contemplate the question. "Then you tell me. You tell me and I'll take over the second you need me to. But you have the most at stake here, Catra. You have to do what will let you live with yourself down the line. Goodness knows we've both messed that up enough already."

Catra gives another humorless laugh. "Yeah, I guess we have, Sparkles."

Glimmer squeezes Catra's elbow. "Don't let her go, Catra. We'll find her, no matter what. You just have to stay strong and true for us to make sure that we don't lose sight of our goal."

"Saving Adora?"

"Saving Adora."

"Okay." Catra's voice is soft in that way that is usually reserved for admissions of weakness to Adora in the dead of night. "Then let's go do what we need to do to prepare."

"Yes." Glimmer squeezes Catra's elbow once more before releasing it. "Let's."


	2. Chapter 2

It takes the better part of two weeks to get everything ready. Between the Alliance general meetings, planning for Glimmer to be away for an extended period, and Entrapta needing to both create a portable energy scanner and teach Bow how to use it, Catra's actually impressed that it only takes two weeks. From there it's just a matter of packing before they hail one of the three former Horde ships that they now use for their interplanetary expeditions. Entrapta keeps promising to build them one of Etherian design so that they don't keep terrifying the locals when they travel, but everyone is perfectly content to wait until she has the time and attention to focus fully on the craft. No reason to go traveling through space with anything that's less than fully equipped to handle their jaunts.

No matter how much she wants to, Catra doesn't rush through her packing. She needs to be sure that she's brought everything both she and Adora might need. This isn't like flying Darla, no matter how much Catra had argued that she'd be a better ride than one of the Horde ships. They won't be able to ask the ship to make them anything they've forgotten or left behind. So Catra needs to be fully prepared. For both of them.

She throws in a spare set of clothes for herself, then decides that one more set might not be a bad idea, what with how often the Best Friend Squad gets into trouble in space. As for Adora, Catra's hands hover over her drawers in the dresser, trying to decide what she should bring. She's tempted to bring one of Adora's few dresses, something soft and comfortable and easy in case things have been rougher for her out there than any of them have dared think. But that isn't what makes Adora comfortable. So Catra reaches instead for two of the long-sleeved undershirts that Adora tends to favor. The fabric is soft enough that it won't aggravate any potential injuries, and it will let Adora feel more comfortable than she might otherwise.

Catra presses her face into one of the shirts, imagining for a moment that she can smell Adora through the clean scent of soap on the garments. But she can't, and pretending will only make the hurt even worse while she waits. So Catra ignores her need to pretend and shoves the clothes into her bag.

After that it's underwear, pants, toothbrushes, and weapons before Catra's content that she's brought what she and Adora will need. Glimmer will probably say she's overreacting, but honestly Catra would rather be blamed for overreacting than underprepare. Adora's been missing for almost twenty days at this point. Catra isn't about to let her return be anything but completely comfortable.

When she makes it out to the ship, it seems that Gimmer and Bow had had the same idea if the size of their bags is any indication. Glimmer's cheeks are pink when she turns to look at Catra, but she relaxes when she sees the overstuffed bag that Catra's got thrown over her shoulder.

"You ready to go get your girl?"

"That depends. Are you sure you still want it to just be the three of us? We have no idea what we're up against. They managed to steal Adora out from under our noses. You don't want a little more backup than this?"

Glimmer purses her lips. "Do you think we need more backup?"

"It's not my call."

"I think the three of us will do just fine, Catra. Besides, if whoever took Adora wants more than just her, we need to have people here that know that. If they took Adora so they could attack Etheria, we need people here to fight back. It has to be just us, Catra. That's my final decision."

"No need to get all queen-y on me, Sparkles." Catra has to force herself not to snap the words out. "I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting us into."

Glimmer rolls her eyes. "Yes, Catra, I have listened to my council and made the best decision possible. I think I have a decent idea of what we're flying into here."

"Suit yourself." Catra starts to make her way toward the ramp up to the ship, but Scorpia stops her halfway there. She wraps Catra up in an embrace that has tears pricking at the corners of Catra's eyes.

"Be careful out there, Wildcat. We need you back here in one piece, alright?"

Catra lets herself reach up and cling to Scorpia. "Alright. You just keep everyone safe down here for me, deal?"

"Deal." Scorpia squeezes Catra tight for one last moment before releasing her to the ground. "See you soon."

"See you soon."

Once Scorpia has released her, Catra is encased in three other sets of arms, including a strong scaly pair she hadn't expected to see. She blinks and lets herself be pulled more fully into the hug as she glances around at her former training partner. "Lonnie? Rogelio? Kyle?"

"You go bring our girl back, Catra." Lonnie's voice is fierce and determined as she whispers into Catra's ear. "You bring her home."

Catra turns in the group's hold to return Lonnie's embrace and reaches up to clutch Rogelio by the wrist. "I will. I swear."

"She's our girl too, Catra. Don't you forget that. You leave her out there, you answer to me."

Rogelio makes a sound that must be agreement, and Catra can see Kyle nodding fiercely out of the corner of her eye. She closes her eyes and sinks into their hold.

"I swear, I'm going to do whatever it takes, you guys. I'm bringing her home."

"Just don't—"

Catra blinks again and turns to face Kyle fully. His eyes are wide in that way that means he hadn't realized he was going to say what he'd just said. Then his expression hardens and Catra knows what he's going to say before he says it.

"Just don't get yourself killed in the process. I won't have you leaving the three of us alone down here, you got that?"

Catra knows Kyle's gotten better at speaking his mind lately, but to have it thrust into her face so intensely like leaves her taken aback. "Kyle, I—"

"You got that?"

How can Catra argue with that? She knows their little unit had meant something to all of them, but sometimes it's easy to forget about the other three with how wrapped up she is in her relationship with Adora. She nods at Kyle.

"I got it."

"Good."

Catra doesn't expect anyone else to make a point of saying goodbye to her, but once Scorpia and the trio have said their piece it's like the dam has been broken. First Perfuma, then Mermista, then the rest of the princesses in turn come to wish Catra well. Catra tries not to prickle at the kindness, but without Adora at her side to keep her calm, it's a struggle. Catra turns away as soon as she can, only to find Entrapta standing before her with the small rectangular device she and Bow had been working on in hand. She holds it out to Catra like an offering.

"Here. It should help you find her."

"I thought Bow—"

"Bow has one too," Entrapta says, but we both thought it would be good for you to have one as well. Just in case something happens to Bow's. Just in case— Well. Just in case."

Catra reaches out to take the device, noticing that it has a band that will probably fit nicely around her wrist. Her throat goes tight with the realization that that's all that separates her from finding Adora. That, and the vastness of space that separates them.

She smiles at Entrapta. "Thank you."

Entrapta beams at her. "Of course! Now, I've calibrated it to match your brainwaves, which means—"

Catra mostly tunes out what Entrapta is saying, too busy watching the excitement play out on her face. It isn't exactly the way Adora gets excited, but it's close enough to tug at Catra's heart. She stands there, pretending to listen, and tries to ignore the way her heart is falling apart.

Glimmer ends up saving her by interrupting Entrapta in the middle of a sentence. "We should probably get going, Entrapta."

"Oh! Of course!" Entrapta pulls her hands away from Catra's wrist where she had secured the device at some point. She props herself up on her hair and embraces Catra briefly. "Good luck."

Catra smiles and takes Entrapta's hand in hers as she pulls away. "Thank you." She's not entirely sure what she's thanking Entrapta for, but it has to be something important. Worthwhile. Something that comes close to encapsulating everything that Entrapta has done to help make this trip to go find Adora a reality. "Just... thank you."

Entrapta smiles. "You're welcome!" Then she bounds off to join the rest of the princesses waiting a good ten yards from the ramp.

Glimmer doesn't take Catra by the arm, but part of Catra almost wishes that she would. She needs something to lean against while she tries to swallow down the fear that has risen like a tidal wave in her stomach. She holds herself tall, though, and waits at Glimmer's side for Bow to join them.

"We'll be back as soon as we can," Glimmer assures everyone. "We'll be back with Adora. We promise."

Catra doesn't need to look to know that everyone's looking at her. That they're all waiting for her to slip up and revert to her old ways. She isn't going to give them the satisfaction. She just nods at Glimmer's words and follows along behind Glimmer and Bow to board the ship.

"Go get her, Wildcat!"

Catra turns instinctively to look over her shoulder at Scorpia. Scorpia grins back, waving one of her claws over her head. With that single glance, Catra can see the way all of the princesses are grinning and waving at them and the way they don't seem to be ignoring her at all. Frosta's arm works even more wildly over her head when she sees Catra looking at her, and even Mermista tosses a wave and a small smile her way. Catra's chest fills with the kind of appreciation and affection that she usually attributes to Adora. But maybe, just maybe, there's more support for her here than she'd ever let herself believe.

"Bring her home, Catra!" Lonnie yells, and then the entire crowd at the foot of the ramp starts yelling and cheering and shouting encouragement to the three of them. Catra can't move from her place on the ramp, too overwhelmed to do anything.

In the end, Glimmer has to take her by the elbow. "You ready to go?"

"Give me a sec." Catra inhales deeply, then lifts her arm and waves at the crowd below. "Damn right I'm bringing her back! See you guys in a hot minute!" Then she turns on her heel and races the rest of the way up the ramp so no one but Glimmer and Bow can see the tears at the corners of her eyes. Lonnie and Scorpia will know they're there, but they won't tell anyone. Catra's reputation is intact, and that is all that matters right now.

That, and bringing Adora home. But that's a given. They're going to get her back no matter what. So there's no need to worry about any of that. Is there?

* * *

Time moves strangely in space. Without the sun to mark the passage of time, they're reduced to trusting the chronometers in the ship. They take turns in the control booth, watching the readings and the autopilot as they chart their path to Adora. It takes the better part of three days according to the chronometers, but to Catra it feels like years. She does her job, takes her shifts with good grace and spends as much time with Bow and Glimmer as is expected of her, but that's all she does. The rest of the time she's huddled up in her quarters with Melog trying to focus on her breathing. The panic she'd felt upon realizing Adora was gone — _really_ gone — had subsided while there had been work to do. Planning and packing and dealing with the worried friends and princesses had been enough to keep her mind off of Adora's absence. Now, with nothing but the blackness of space and a pair of Adora's lovesick friends for company, she can't ignore the loss.

That isn't fair. Glimmer and Bow are her friends too. They've certainly worked hard enough in the effort. And it isn't even like she can say that they don't understand what she's going through. Bow had gone through losing Glimmer with only Adora at his side. She at least has both of them.

But some small part of her insists that it isn't the same. Back then Bow and Glimmer had been friends and only friends. They hadn't been— whatever it is that she and Adora are right now. Friends, yes, but something else too. Something different. She's held Adora in her sleep every night since she saved the universe and Catra wouldn't have it any other way. Having Adora at her side is her truest happiness, and leaving that behind would gut her. So yes, Bow has an inkling of what this feels like, but Glimmer's never lost Bow like this before, and there's no way this is something they can really, truly understand.

So Catra hides. She stays out of their way whenever she can manage it and tries to ignore the increasingly worried looks that the two of them are sending her way.

Neither of them brings up any concerns to her before they land on Astena. Glimmer tries to stop Catra before she disembarks, but Catra's having none of that.

"Entrapta's sensors are indicating that the air is safe to breathe," Catra says before either of the others can speak. "We need to get down on the ground now so we can spread out and figure out where Adora went."

Glimmer looks like she's about to argue, but Bow puts a hand on her elbow. "If that's what you think is best," he says.

Catra snarls. "It is."

"Then let's go."

On the ground, Bow uses the tracker to find evidence of several towns dotted around nearby. Catra accepts the earpiece that Bow gives her before turning in the direction of the town she's been saddled with and taking off with Melog at a run. It takes a solid thirty minutes to reach the town, but once she does she realizes immediately that she's in the right place. There's a statue in the middle of town. It's easily ten feet tall and Catra would recognize that sword anywhere.

She-Ra.

Catra's heart swells. It wasn't anything that any of the Coalition planets had done as part of the treaty agreements, and the statue is clearly rather new. But Catra knows exactly what this is. This is a sign from Adora that she's here. That she's been the hero she always was and saved these people so deeply and effortlessly that they'd erected a statue in her honor. Catra's chest is too tight and it takes a monumental effort to swallow past the tightness and look away from the statue. There are people here that need to be interviewed. She needs to figure out exactly what happened here so she can find Adora and bring her home.

There's a little alien staring at her when she finally turns away from the statue. She smiles down at them and walks slowly toward them. She crouches on the ground in front of him, meeting his eyes head-on.

"Hi there. My name's Catra."

The child blinks at her, then turns to look at Melog. "Can I pet the cat?"

"Sure." Catra's not above bribing the locals to get information. "Go right ahead."

The child crouches down and runs a hand over the back of Melog's head. "What's her name?"

"Melog. What's yours?"

"I'm Liel."

"Hi Liel. It's nice to meet you."

Liel seems content to pet Melog while Catra tries to think of the best way to ask the child about Adora. Before she can think of anything, though, the child gives her the perfect in.

"Why were you looking at the bad lady statue?"

Catra blinks. "The bad lady statue?"

They nod again. "She came and she took everything. She was mean. I didn't like her. Why were you looking at her statue?"

"I don't understand," Catra says breathlessly. "What do you mean she was mean?"

The child frowns at her. "She's a bad lady. Mama said so."

"Did you mama say why she was bad?"

"Because she was angry. She yelled a lot and she hit people and she made everyone agree to do what she said. Then she left two of her friends behind and now we have to listen to them or she'll come back and be mean again. I don't like it. It was easier before she came."

Catra swallows. This doesn't sound at all like Adora, but if something's gone wrong and she has started destroying things, then maybe this is worse than Catra thought. Catra turns back to the child.

"Liel—"

"Liel!"

The child turns away. Catra follows their line of sight to see an older looking alien standing a few yards away. Catra straightens up.

"Excuse me. What can you tell me about that statue?"

The older alien glares at Catra. "Liel. Come here."

The child runs off to stand beside the other alien, hiding close around their legs. Catra grits her teeth.

"I'm just trying to get some information."

The pair of aliens turn away from Catra, and make their way into one of the structures around the central square. The child turns to look at Melog over their shoulder before the older alien ushers them inside. Catra glares after them, but doesn't try to follow. Instead, she makes her way over to the statue, hoping there's some sort of plaque or inscription that she can read.

There is a plaque at the foot of the statue, but it's written in a language she doesn't recognize. There's a section that looks like it could be First One's writing, but there's a section below it that looks different. It's almost like the inscription had been written in two languages — that of the natives, and that of the First Ones.

Catra's stomach sinks. If the First Ones are involved, this could get a lot messier than she'd hoped. Resigned, she presses a button on the comm in her ear. "Guys, I think I found something. Rendezvous on my position as soon as you can."

Catra walks through the village as she waits. All the buildings seem to be closed up, as though there's no life in the village. Windows are shuttered, doors are barred, and all of it leaves Catra's skin crawling. This doesn't look like a place that Adora has visited to bring light and joy. This looks like a place that has been ravaged by war or blight. It's not as bad as the Fright Zone had been near the end, but Catra finds the same old, eerie memories creeping in more readily than usual.

She doesn't run into anyone else as she makes her way through the town. It seems like mere chance that she'd run into Liel in the first place. Perhaps everyone else had gone inside when they'd heard the ship land. Perhaps they've all been in hiding since Adora came. Either way, Catra doesn't like it here. She regrets asking Glimmer and Bow to rendezvous at her location. Before she can make a decision about whether or not she's going to renege on that plan, Glimmer's voice crackles through the comm.

"Can you guys actually head my way? I've got someone here that's willing to help. Unless you have something more, Catra?"

Catra shakes her head even though Glimmer can't see it. "No, that's fine, Glimmer. I'll just take a picture of this inscription and I'll meet you there."

Catra pulls out the little device that Entrapta had given her as she makes her way back to the statue. It's got a lot more capabilities than Catra had first realized. she's damn grateful that she's figured as many of them out as she had in those long hours on the ship. She twists the dial twice counterclockwise and tilts her wrist toward the inscription. There's a little click, and when Catra turns her wrist back to normal, there's an image of the inscription on the blue screen. Catra grins. That's got to be enough to figure out what the damn inscription says, and maybe even figure out where Adora wandered off to if she really is no longer here.

Information in hand, Catra climbs onto Melog's back. "Come on. Let's go find Glimmer."

* * *

Bow was closer to Glimmer than Catra had been, so they're both waiting for her when she and Melog finally arrive. Catra hops off of Melog in one smooth motion and rests a hand on the back of their neck.

"What did you find?"

Glimmer nods at the house behind her. "Come on. In here."

Catra hesitates, wary of anyone that might invite aliens into their home after what Adora had allegedly done. But she trusts Glimmer, and even if Glimmer is sometimes too trusting herself, Catra isn't going to ignore this chance at a lead.

She follows Glimmer and Bow into the structure, one hand on the knife at her hip just in case. Inside is an alien clothed in a long black dress with intricate silver embroidery and a similarly intricate cloak thrown over her shoulders. Catra swallows at the sting of familiarity that runs through her at the familiarity of the embroidery. She tightens her grip on the knife.

"This is Shandien," Glimmer says.

"You're a Loyalist."

The alien looks up at the hiss in Catra's voice. She glances down at her cloak and runs her fingers over the embroidery. "I suppose I can see why it would look that way to you, sister."

Catra curls her lip back. "Don't call me that."

Shandien sighs and gets to her feet. Catra steps between her and her friends, protecting them from whatever the alien is going to do. What she does is turn around and show Catra the back of her neck. There's a familiar scar there, one that nearly everyone on Etheria bears in varying degrees of depth and intensity.. One that Catra herself has on the back of her neck.

Catra frowns. "I don't get it. Why wear their symbols if they took you too?"

The alien sits back down. This time Catra can see how slowly she moves. The ache in every movement and the way sitting is the only thing that seems to bring her comfort. For all that she wants to ask, Catra holds her tongue.

The alien looks back up at them once she's seated. "I wear their mark as a reminder, to my people and to myself, that we will never fall victim to tyrants and colonizers ever again." She meets Catra's gaze cooly, something challenging in her eyes. "Never again."

Catra's throat goes tight. It's a sentiment she understands intimately.

Glimmer steps in front of Catra, who tries not to snarl and reel her back in to protect her. "Your planet was liberated from the Horde's rule by the Star Siblings, correct?"

Shandien turns to look at Glimmer. "Indeed."

"You joined the Interplanetary Coalition."

"My people did."

Catra can feel Glimmer's confusion. "But you didn't agree."

Shandien shrugs. "It is always my people's choice whom they choose to serve. I knew from the moment those siblings landed here that they thought they were here to help us, but that following them down this path would lead to our destruction."

"And why is that?"

Shandien glances at Bow when he speaks but directs her answer to Glimmer instead. "Because we were among the last planets that the First Ones colonized millennia ago and among the first that freed ourselves from them when their power broke. When their power grew again, as it must in the wake of the Horde's destruction, I knew that they would come for us first. The first of the rebels and the last of the resistors. They would come for us. And they did."

Catra hates that she already knows what this means. That she knows what's happened to Adora and that she knows what they're going to have to do to bring her back. She hates all of this and she hates most of all that she knows what Glimmer's going to ask before she even opens her mouth.

"But what does any of that have to do with our friend."

Shandien meets Catra's eyes head on and Catra feels a block of ice drop into her stomach. "I believe your companion already knows the answer to that."

Bow and Glimmer both turn to Catra, who can feel herself succumbing to the kind of weakness that she never wanted to admit that Adora was to her.

"It means that the First Ones took Adora. They have her. And she's working for them."

Glimmer shakes her head. "She would never do that. Adora's too good a person to just— to just do whatever the First Ones tell her to do. She would never."

"Yeah. She's too smart to let them dupe her like that. She would know better than to let them jerk her around like that."

Both Bow and Glimmer are looking at Catra for validation, but Catra knows she has nothing for them. She looks instead at Shandien, who seems to know what she's going to say before she even opens her mouth.

"Maybe. Maybe not. She didn't know the Horde was evil until you told her. Maybe something similar is going on here. Something worse."

Glimmer and Bow glance at each other as though taking in this information. For her part, Catra only has eyes for Shandien.

"How long were they here?"

"About two days. That was all it took to subjugate the planet completely. They were too strong. _She_ was too strong."

"What did they do?"

Shandien shakes her head. "It is not to be spoken of."

"What can you tell me, then?"

"Your hero. Your... She-Ra. She was the leader of the charge. The strongest of them all. Our finest warriors could not even hope to stand against her. It was... it was too much."

Catra nods. "She's a hell of a fighter. Can't say we're surprised. They left, though?"

"Yes. Long before the fires had even stopped burning, they left, leaving behind those that would execute their will in their absence. They left us with clear instructions that we were not to leave, not to interfere. That we were not to question. That is all that they left us with. Well, that and our lives."

Catra's stomach curls. She reaches for her wrist and pulls up the snapshot she'd taken of the inscription beneath the She-Ra statues. "This inscription. Can you tell me what it says?"

Shandien leans in, tilting her head to the side. "I cannot read the first half, but the second half..." She swallows. "May all that walk these roads know the gift given by the almighty She-Ra. May they bask in her glory and thank her for their salvation."

Catra feels Glimmer shudder beside her. She pulls her wrist back, clutching it to her chest. It's not at all like the Adora she loves, but she can feel the hint of knowing, the hint of understanding in her chest that makes it all too clear that this really is her Adora. That whoever it is that had taken her — the First Ones, it would seem — have destroyed the core of the woman she loves. If she wants to find her way back to Adora again, she's going to have to bust her ass to do so.

"Thank you," Catra says as she straightens up. "Thank you for that. Is there anything else you can tell us? How many of them were there? What kind of weapons they used? Where they went after they left?"

Shandien's lips thin. "I couldn't tell you their number, and they hardly needed weapons to subdue us with your She-Ra at their side. As for where they went after they left, I believe I have some answers for you there."

Before Catra can say anything, Shandien gets to her feet and moves to a corner of the little house. She opens a cupboard and pulls out a crystal bowl that she fills with water. She places it on the table in front of where she had been sitting and traces a finger through the liquid. The moment she starts chanting in some strange language, one Catra, at least, doesn't recognize, Catra feels her fur stand on end. There's something going on here, deeply holy and magical in a way that she's only ever felt when Adora transforms into She-Ra. Catra swallows and rubs a hand along her arm, trying to get her body back under her control. Shandien glances at her with a knowing look. Catra doesn't look away, though, too focused on the way that the water in the bowl has begun to swirl faster than Shandien's fingers are coaxing it. Colors whirl across the bowl's surface, pale pinks and blues and lush greens and purples. It makes Catra's head spin.

Shandien looks up at them, her eyes filmed over with a pale white sheen. "I'm afraid they are beyond the reach of my magic alone. I can see her, though. See that she is still alive, still fighting. Still doing whatever the First Ones bid her. Your She-Ra is alive, but I could not tell you where."

"Could you tell us where she was when they left? Where their ship took off from?" Bow asks.

The milky film clears from Shandien's eyes. "Oh, but they did not take a ship like yours, my children. They appeared from the heavens as though sent there from above. They did not fly."

Bow's eyes light up. "But that's good, then," he says. He takes his satchel from his back and rummages around in it until he manages to pull out the other tracker device that Entrapta had made. It's larger than the one on Catra's wrist, she notices, but clearly of the same design and with the same function. "If they beamed out, we might be able to find out where they went."

Shandien's eyes light up. "I see. Their base camp is an hour long walk from here. Shall I take you there?"

The walk takes more like fifty minutes with the pace that Catra and Melog set. Once they make it to the clearing that the First Ones had used as a base camp, Catra pulls her own tracker off her wrist, ready to do whatever it takes to find Adora. But her device doesn't respond. Clearly the signal must be too weak for it to register.

When she turns back to Bow and Glimmer, Bow already has his device out and is scanning the area. He walks in a clearly intentional grid pattern, watching the screen of his device and leaving the rest of them to listen to the beeping and guess at what he's found. When Bow's circuits grow smaller and smaller, catra finds the hope welling in her chest. They're going to find Adora. They have to.

Bow stills about twelve yards away from them, staring down at his screen. The beeping gets louder and more incessant and when it becomes a single, high whine, Catra knows he's found her. She rushes to his side, staring down at the screen.

"You found her?"

Bow nods. "It's going to take us a good three days to get there again, but yes. I found her."

"Another Coalition planet?" Glimmer asks. She must have heard something in Bow's voice that Catra missed, because he nods.

"Synesthia," Bow says, and Glimmer swears. CAtra vaguely remembers that planet, but not well enough to understand Glimmer's concern.

"That's where the Star siblings are from," Glimmer says when she sees Catra's confusion. "If they've gotten to the siblings, that's going to set our coalition back months. Maybe years."

Catra nods and looks back down at the device. "But we've found where she went. That's gotta count for something."

"Oh, it does," Glimmer says, but there's a ferocity in her tone. "Because if she's still there when we get there she and I are going to have a very, _very_ long talk."

Catra hums. She's not as worried about the Coalition as Glimmer is, but then, that's not really her job here. Bring the people together, sure. Listen to their needs and invite them into the Coalition to meet those needs, fine. Fuck up Horde PRime's former empire, hell fucking yes. But beyond that, these people are on their own just like Etheria was for centuries. They're going to have to figure out how to live their lives on their own at some point, and the rest of the Coalition may not be there to help them do it. So yeah, so what if they got caught in a little crossfire? Catra's been through worse.

"I can tell you're being a jerk in your head, Catra."

Catra shrugs. "You guys never misunderstood my role here. What I'm doing with you guys. I'm here for Adora first, you guys second, righteousness third. I'm not here to coddle interplanetary species that are coming out from centuries of subjugation. I'm here to look out for myself and for Adora, that's it."

Surprisingly, Shandien laughs. "Well, at least you know what you're about," she says.

Catra grins back at her. "Damn right I do. I have someone I love that I'm going to protect. Everything else is secondary."

"Then surely you must understand how important it is to us to protect our people. Our people that rely on us so deeply, intrinsically, inherently. That trust us to keep them safe and warm and cared for. Surely you must see why I can only lead you this far."

Catra does. "I would never ask more of you than this. And I swear, whatever we find, we will bring your people back the safety and support that they deserve."

Shandien's eyes go bright and warm. "Thank you,. I will hold you to that." She goes up on tiptoe and presses a kiss to her cheek. "Safe travels."

Catra doesn't give her a response. She doesn't have the words to thank her for helping them get this far, nor does she have the strength to promise any more than she already has. She's going to do her damnedest, but if it's not enough she'll have to face Shandien as a smaller, weaker person than before, and that is something she can't even begin to grasp.

She's going to bring Adora back safe and sound, because the alternative is too terrible.


End file.
